This month in our Health in Focus posts, we’re looking at some of the different approaches to management of cancer symptoms and side effects of treatment. Today we’ll look more closely at ways to improve sleep if it’s affected by symptoms of cancer or side effects of treatment.
Being diagnosed with cancer can affect sleep in different ways. Physical symptoms such as pain, nausea and hot flushes due to menopause and psychological symptoms such as anxiety (which can also be a symptom of menopause) can make it more difficult to fall or stay asleep. Sleep disturbance can also be a side effect of some medications prescribed to people with ovarian cancer, including steroids and PARP inhibitors.
Other things not related to cancer can also affect the amount and quality of your sleep, for example lack of physical exercise during the day, consuming alcohol or caffeine too close to bedtime and your physical sleep environment, such as the temperature of the room or an uncomfortable bed.
Good sleep is important for physical and mental health, and there are various approaches that can help. If physical symptoms are affecting your ability to sleep, you can ask your team for advice and help to manage them, for example pain or anti-sickness medications.
If hot flushes are interfering with your sleep, keeping a change of nightwear to hand and having a box of ice cubes or a cool flannel nearby can help.
If anxiety is making it difficult to sleep, it may help to talk through your worries with a counsellor (healthunlocked.com/ovacome/... ), support group (healthunlocked.com/ovacome/... ) or a helpline (healthunlocked.com/ovacome/... ). Writing down your thoughts, for example in a journal or online if you use online support such as forums like this or social media groups (healthunlocked.com/ovacome/... can also help.
Another way to improve sleep is to have a regular routine of going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, preparing for bed by avoiding screens (the blue light can promote wakefulness) and doing something relaxing such as reading, having a bath, listening to relaxing music or meditation or mindfulness.
Our bodies evolved to wake up with the daylight and sleep when it gets dark, so keeping to a regular pattern is often helpful. Having regular bedtime activities can help to signal to your body that it’s time to rest. You can also do these after you get into bed to help with falling asleep. For example, you can listen to music or a relaxation session on a sleep timer and mental puzzles such as making alphabetical lists of names, countries or cities can focus the mind and help to stop busy or anxious thoughts.
It’s also helpful to keep the bedroom for sleep and sexual intimacy only. Again, this can be a signal that the bed is a place to relax. Lying awake in bed can create an association between bed and wakefulness. If you don’t fall asleep within half an hour of going to bed, or waking up in the night, going to a dimly lit room and doing something relaxing until you feel ready to go to sleep may help to reinforce the connection between bed and sleep.
Some complementary therapies, such as acupuncture and reflexology may also be helpful for improving sleep, although more research is needed to confirm whether they are effective. As we mentioned in last week’s post (healthunlocked.com/ovacome/..., many people find complementary therapies relaxing and enjoyable, which may in turn help to promote good sleep.
Those of you who subscribe to our magazine will find an article on promoting healthy sleep in the most recent edition. It can also be viewed online here: ovacome.org.uk/Handlers/Dow... , pages 12-14
It follows on from a webinar we provided on sleep as part of our ongoing Staying Connected programme. You can view the webinar recording on our website here: ovacome.org.uk/webinar-reco...
You can find more information on improving your sleep when you’ve been diagnosed with cancer at:
cancerresearchuk.org/about-...
macmillan.org.uk/cancer-inf...
If you would like to share your experiences of sleep after a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, or have any tips, please comment on this post. If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact our Support Service on 0800 008 7054 or at support@ovacome.org.uk.
Best wishes
Julia & Anna
Ovacome Support
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